Louisiana officials have agreed to a tentative $4.8 million settlement with the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died in 2019 after a violent arrest by state police, according to two people with direct knowledge of the lawsuit. The settlement, which requires approval from the state Legislature, would end a federal wrongful death lawsuit that drew national scrutiny after the Associated Press obtained body‑camera footage showing five white troopers punching, kicking, and repeatedly stunning the unarmed man.
Greene, 49, died on May 10, 2019, after a high‑speed chase that began when state troopers attempted to stop him for an unspecified traffic violation. For two years, state police refused to release footage of the arrest and initially claimed Greene died after crashing into a tree during the pursuit. The video obtained by AP in 2021 revealed a far more violent encounter: troopers used stun guns on Greene as he apologized for leading them on the chase, then wrestled him to the ground, placed him in a chokehold, and punched him. They dragged him facedown while his hands were cuffed and his legs were shackled and left him without medical aid.
State police spokesperson Capt. Russell Graham told the AP the agency could not comment on the settlement terms because the process “has not yet been finalized.” Mona Hardin, Greene’s mother, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the troopers last year. In the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration in January 2025, the Justice Department released findings that Louisiana State Police engaged in a statewide pattern of excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits. The investigation was launched in 2022 after the AP’s reporting exposed a series of brutal beatings by troopers. Several months after taking office, the Trump administration rescinded those findings.